SurLaLune Fairy Tales

If you have fairy tale or folklore related things you'd like to share, please send them to me through my website email, heidi at surlalunefairytales dot com. Read more about fairy tales at SurLaLune Fairy Tales.

My oldest niece adored these books a few years ago and pretty much needed them on their release date. I have fond memories of hearing her giggle her way through all of them. Leighton isn't much of a giggler so when she is giggling, I know she is usually reading a funny book. This particular volume in the series retells some fairy tales so I thought it worth mentioning here. Leighton hasn't read this one so I can't get a first hand recommendation, but I sent it to her Kindle anyway for old times' sake. She might even read it for old times' sake, too.

Book description:

Nikki Maxwell’s favorite fairy tales get dork-tastic twists in the eighth book of the #1 New York Times bestselling Dork Diaries series!

After a bump on the head in gym class on April Fool’s Day, Nikki has a wild dream in which she, her BFFs Chloe and Zoey, her crush Brandon, and mean girl Mackenzie all end up playing the roles of some familiar classic fairy tale characters. Of course, the stories don’t go quite as expected—because they each have a very special Dork Diaries spin!

The Dork Diaries series has more than 13 million copies in print worldwide!

The Princess Spy by Melanie Dickerson was released in November and is currently bargain book priced for $1.99 for the ebook. It has not been this low price before. This is the latest volume in Dickerson's series of fairy tale retellings which have all been bargain priced at some time, but usually range in the $5 to $10 range. A few other titles are bargain priced right now, too, but not all in the series.

This book is one of the most intriguing in the series since it takes on retelling The Frog Prince, a rather uncommon choice for fantasy novels. I haven't read it yet although I bought it at a higher price a while back. It's on my TBR file since the plot intrigues me.

Book description:

Margaretha has always been a romantic, and hopes her newest suitor, Lord Claybrook, is destined to be her one true love. But then an injured man is brought to Hagenheim Castle, claiming to be an English lord who was attacked by Claybrook and left for dead. And only Margaretha—one of the few who speaks his language—understands the wild story.

Margaretha finds herself unable to pass Colin’s message along to her father, the duke, and convinces herself “Lord Colin” is just an addled stranger. Then Colin retrieves an heirloom she lost in a well, and asks her to spy on Claybrook as repayment. Margaretha knows she could never be a spy—not only is she unable to keep anything secret, she’s sure Colin is completely wrong about her potential betrothed. Though when Margaretha overhears Claybrook one day, she discovers her romantic notions may have been clouding her judgment about not only Colin but Claybrook as well. It is up to her to save her father and Hagenheim itself from Claybrook’s wicked plot.

Saturday, December 27, 2014

Kill Me Softly by Sarah Cross is currently on sale for $1.99 in ebook format. I didn't own it yet in ebook format--I had an ARC--so this is the first time it has been this deeply discounted.

The sale is timed to help promote the release of the sequel, Tear You Apart, which will be released on January 27th. It is not on sale but is listed at the same price as Killing Me Softly prior to the sale, $9.99. So get your bargain ebook now and see if you like this series!

Book description:

Mirabelle's past is shrouded in secrecy, from her parents' tragic deaths to her guardians' half-truths about why she can't return to her birthplace, Beau Rivage. Desperate to see the town, Mira runs away a week before her sixteenth birthday—and discovers a world she never could have imagined.

In Beau Rivage, nothing is what it seems—the strangely pale girl with a morbid interest in apples, the obnoxious playboy who's a beast to everyone he meets, and the chivalrous guy who has a thing for damsels in distress. Here, fairy tales come to life, curses are awakened, and ancient stories are played out again and again.

But fairy tales aren't pretty things, and they don't always end in happily ever after. Mira has a role to play, a fairy tale destiny to embrace or resist. As she struggles to take control of her fate, Mira is drawn into the lives of two brothers with fairy tale curses of their own . . . brothers who share a dark secret. And she'll find that love, just like fairy tales, can have sharp edges and hidden thorns.

Friday, December 26, 2014

There are over 125 ebooks available today for $1.99 each in Amazon's Friday's Kids' & Teen Deal. There are several Newbery Medal winners and other popular titles. A few also have fairy tale and folklore themes, so I will share those, but check out the whole list if you want some great finds.

It isn’t easy being the rather overlooked and unhappy youngest sibling to sisters named for the other six days of the week. Sunday’s only comfort is writing stories, although what she writes has a terrible tendency to come true.

When Sunday meets an enchanted frog who asks about her stories, the two become friends. Soon that friendship deepens into something magical. One night Sunday kisses her frog goodbye and leaves, not realizing that her love has transformed him back into Rumbold, the crown prince of Arilland—and a man Sunday’s family despises.

The prince returns to his castle, intent on making Sunday fall in love with him as the man he is, not the frog he was. But Sunday is not so easy to woo. How can she feel such a strange, strong attraction for this prince she barely knows? And what twisted secrets lie hidden in his past—and hers?

Fourteen-year-old Luce has had a tough life, but she reaches the depths of despair when she is assaulted and left on the cliffs outside of a grim, gray Alaskan fishing village. She expects to die when she tumbles into the icy waves below, but instead undergoes an astonishing transformation and becomes a mermaid. A tribe of mermaids finds Luce and welcomes her in—all of them, like her, lost girls who surrendered their humanity in the darkest moments of their lives. Luce is thrilled with her new life until she discovers the catch: the mermaids feel an uncontrollable desire to drown seafarers, using their enchanted voices to lure ships into the rocks. Luce possesses an extraordinary singing talent, which makes her important to the tribe—she may even have a shot at becoming their queen. However her struggle to retain her humanity puts her at odds with her new friends. Will Luce be pressured into committing mass murder?

The first book in a trilogy, Lost Voices is a captivating and wildly original tale about finding a voice, the healing power of friendship, and the strength it takes to forgive.

Okay, so am I the only one who thinks the Riding Hood Wolf costume is cute, but finds the Witch one below confusing? It looks like Cinderella and the Witch from Snow White meshed together instead of Snow White herself. Because Snow White, despite the rare illustration or two and definitely in popular culture, has black hair.

And I really have no idea what this was fully advertising. An costume party at a restaurant--Baby Beef Jardim--is my best understanding.

Sunday, December 21, 2014

It's that time of year everyone! I haven't offered a giveaway for the holiday season yet so here it is!

Register for the chance to win a set of 3 SurLaLune Library Titles: Bluebeard Tales From Around the World, Cinderella Tales From Around the World, and Beauty and the Beast Tales From Around the World. Go to the SurLaLune Fairy Tales Giveaway to enter for a chance to win.

To make it more interesting for us all, I am also asking "What fairy tale item is on your holiday wish list?" I will share the answers during this week and and next with the SurLaLune readers, so be sure to give me an "online name" to use when you enter for me to share on the blog.

Contest Rules:

Open to international entries.

Only one person will win a set of 3 SurLaLune Library Titles: Bluebeard Tales From Around the World, Cinderella Tales From Around the World, and Beauty and the Beast Tales From Around the World.

Contest ends 11:59 PM 12/21/14.

Winner will be selected on 12/22/14. I will announce the winner online on the SurLaLune blog and contact the winner by email. If I do not receive a mailing address for the winner by 11:59 PM 12/31/14, a new winner will be selected.

Void where prohibited by law.

You must be 13 or older to enter.

Your personal information will not be distributed except where described for sharing your "online name" and answer to the entry question, "What fairy tale item is on your holiday wish list?" with the SurLaLune readers.

Saturday, December 20, 2014

SurLaLune reader Christina shared in her entry for the SurLaLune Fairy Tales Giveaway that her holiday fairy tale wishlist item is Jesa Marshall's "Vaslav" necklace. What is that, I wondered. So I went looking and discovered a line of Firebird inspired jewelry by artist Jesa Marshall. Do follow the link to see more--I just picked some of my favorites to share with you here, including Christina's Vaslav.

Koshchei

About Jesa Marshall:

Inspired by dark fairytales, nature and storytelling Jesa combines precious metals and gemstones with tiny sculptures of Crows, hares, moths and other creatures to create her internationally popular ‘Enchanted’ Collection. Twisted rose vines, gnarly trees and a touch of darkness come together to create a captivatingly original collection of jewellery.

At International Jewellery London, 2012 Jesa launched 'Firebird'. Inspired by a picture book celebrating 100 years of Stravinsky's 'Firebird' and re-telling a version of the original Russian Fairytale, 'Firebird' is a dark but beautiful world of wolves, wild woodlands, and of course, the fantastically elegant firebird.

Friday, December 19, 2014

I had missed this release so I am sharing it today. The reviews for the game are all over the place depending on the platform it is played on--some platforms play the game well, apparently, and some not well at all.

There are some videos of the game for viewing on Amazon. They require age verification since this has a mature rating, so I decided to not share here.

The game is inspired by Bill Willingham's Fables series, so if you are a Fables fan and a video game fan, this is probably on your wishlist this season, too!

Game description:

The Wolf Among Us is a 5-episode series set before the events seen in the first Fables (DC Comics/Vertigo), an award-winning comic book series, it is an often violent, mature and hard-boiled thriller where the characters and creatures of myth, lore and legend are real and exist in our world.

Episodic Game - All 5 Episodes Included

Based on Fables (DC Comics/Vertigo), an award-winning comic book series by Bill Willingham.

Play as Bigby Wolf: formerly the most feared monster among the Fables, now Sheriff of Fabletown and protector of those he used to hunt. He must restrain the beast within if he is to earn the trust of those around him.

The characters of myth, lore and legend are real, and exist in our world. Your choices matter and will change and define the story you experience.

Wow. I am fascinated by the level of serious messages that fairy tales have been used for in advertising in recent years. Please, someone, write a paper on that and share. I imagine words like "innocence," "juxtaposition," and others would make an appearance in such a paper. There are more to come in some future posts, too, but themes I have seen include drunk driving, child abuse, homelessness, AIDS, childhood illnesses, smoking, environmental protection, general car safety, and more.

We at SurLaLune know fairy tales aren't all fun and frivolity but I guess some ad agencies know it, too.

At the School for Good and Evil, failing your fairy tale is not an option.

Welcome to the School for Good and Evil, where best friends Sophie and Agatha are about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime.

With her glass slippers and devotion to good deeds, Sophie knows she'll earn top marks at the School for Good and join the ranks of past students like Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Snow White. Meanwhile, Agatha, with her shapeless black frocks and wicked black cat, seems a natural fit for the villains in the School for Evil.

The two girls soon find their fortunes reversed—Sophie's dumped in the School for Evil to take Uglification, Death Curses, and Henchmen Training, while Agatha finds herself in the School for Good, thrust among handsome princes and fair maidens for classes in Princess Etiquette and Animal Communication.

But what if the mistake is actually the first clue to discovering who Sophie and Agatha really are . . . ?

The School for Good and Evil is an epic journey into a dazzling new world, where the only way out of a fairy tale is to live through one.

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Every Tongue Got to Confess: Negro Folk-tales from the Gulf States by Nora Zeale Hurston is today's bargain ebook, $1.99 instead of the usual $9.78. I didn't own this in ebook yet, so this is the first time to my knowledge it has been bargain priced. Hurston was a folklorist among other things and this is a strong collection from her.

Book description:

Every Tongue Got to Confess is an extensive volume of African American folklore that Zora Neale Hurston collected on her travels through the Gulf States in the late 1920s.

The bittersweet and often hilarious tales -- which range from longer narratives about God, the Devil, white folk, and mistaken identity to witty one-liners -- reveal attitudes about faith, love, family, slavery, race, and community. Together, this collection of nearly 500 folktales weaves a vibrant tapestry that celebrates African American life in the rural South and represents a major part of Zora Neale Hurston's literary legacy.